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F". A. MERWIN.'

` BUTTON LATER.

No. 376,447. Patented Jan. 17, 1888.

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FQ A. MERWIN.

BUTTON LATHE.

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FRANK. A. MERWIN, OF N EW MILFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO ALFRED H. NOBLE AND GEORGE B. NOBLE, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON-LATH E.

SPECIFICATION forming para of Letters Patent No. 376,447, dared January 17, laas.

Application filed March 28, 1887.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, FRANK. A. MERWIN, of New Milford, in the county of Litchfield and State of Conuecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Lathes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. l

My invention relates yto an improvement iny .w buttonlathes, the object of the same being to simplify and render eflicient as a .power-machine the buttonlathe patented to Samuel L. Otis, May 5, 1885, numbered 317,183.

lWith this end in view my invention consists .in certain features of construction and combinations of parts that will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings .making apart of this specication, Figure 1 is a plan view of the button-lathe. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the lathe at its geared end. Fig. 4t is an elevation of the opposite end of the lathe.

A is the base plate of the lathe, on the front portion of which the standards S S S S are mounted, and furnished with boxes upon their upper `portions to support the mandrels H I. The mandrels H I arer cut with grooves at the pointsp 7", near their outer ends, and have fixed pulleys V P secured in place upon them between the upright supportingstandards S S.

. Upon the inner vedge of the standards S Sl fixed brackets i w are integrally formed, and are providedv with perforations to receive the slide -bars c ,that have the arms b m attached to their ends o o by jam-nuts o2. The opposite ends of the arms engage the ends of the mandrels H I by means of center points, iii/,which are adjusted by the nuts m2 to have a proper lcontact with the ends of the mandrels and permit their rotation. The latches mi b are made to engage grooves cut in the mandrels H I and move them endwise when the slidebars a a are made toV reciprocate. The inner end,e,of the mandrel I is provided with a removable eutter-head, e', secured in place by screw n2, or other device. This cutter-head Serial No. 232,729. (No model.)

fits a longitudinal socket made in this mandrel, and is preferably used as a tool to reduce to form the button-blank and give it the correct shape for the reverse side of a button.

Into the end u' of the mandrel H the cutter- 5 5 head'n is inserted and secured by screw 71,2,or other device. It is also made removable to permit an'exchange of tools to give different forms to the face side of the buttons, as may be desired.

Between the cutter-heads e a an upright standard, B, is rigidly secured upon the baseplate A. This standard B is of proper height to permit the perforated grip-die f that is mounted upon it to line axially with the longitudinal centers of the cutter-heads a e', it being understood that the mandrels H I are located in the same horizontal plane. The die f, that is intended to engage one side of a but ton-blank, is circnlar,and has a slightly coui- 7o cal outer face that is serrated or otherwise roughened to catch on the edge of the blank when it is brought in contact therewith.

At the rear side of the base-plate A the uprightstandards EEaretxed. These standards support the shaft J and permit its rotation in the boxes formed on their upper ends. Near the inner surface of. the standards E E the cam-grooved hubs R G are fixed rigidly to the shaft J. The cam-head'D is also secured upon 8c this shaft, the pulley T and gear-wheels T T2, that are fixed and supported as shown, being intended to transmit motion from a source of power to the cams through a belt that is placed upon this pulley T.

At a proper point on the plate A an upright f post, U, is placed, which is designed to sup port a clamping-lever, L, that is pivoted to vibrate in a horizontal plane. This lever L has a bend at its rear end that is made to en- 9o gage theside face ofthe cam-head D. Aspring,

K, which is connected to the standard U and body of the clamping-lever L, tends to hold formation to that of the opposing dief, and roo i are adapted to have limited lateral vibration upon the pests as a center, suitable bolts beA ing inserted to hold them pivotally thereon. The rear ends of the levers u d are connected tothe cam-grooves f/ h in the hubs It G, to receive motion therefrom; and it will be seen that from the connections established between the cams on the shalt J and the mandrels I II a revolution of the shalt will cause periodical limited longitudinal movement of the mandrels, to which rotary motion is also communicated by belts placed upon the pulleys V l.

In operation the button-blank is inserted between the clamping-diesfl, when the motion of the shaft J has caused the die l to recede from contact with its mated dief. rlhe return ofthe die Z grips the blank between the fixed and movable die. The relative position of the cam-slots h g in the hubs G R is such in regard to the cam-head D that the rapidly-rotating mandrels H I will simultaneously be advanced to engage the secured blank and instantly reduce it to shape on each side of the same, the length of the shanks of the cutters e a beingr so proportioned to the thickness of the fixed and movable gripping-dies that the ends of the mandrel in which they are placed will cheek their advance at a proper pointto produce buttons of a uniform thickness.

This machine is automatic in its operation as regards the cutting of buttons, and simply requires the attention of cheap labor to feed the blanks successively as the iinished buttons drop from the clamping-dies.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a button-lathe, the combination, with a base-plate, standards mounted thereon, a pair ol' rotary and longitndinally-sliding mandrels, a rotary cam-shaftjournaled in said standards, and a slide-bar connected to each mandrel, ot' a fixed and a movable clamping-die, a vibrating lever to which the movable die is adjustably secured, and the slide-bar-operating levers pivotally connected to the sliding bars, all of these levers having con nection with the cam-shaft,whereby they are given periodical vibratory motion7 substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK. A. MEIHVIN.

Witnesses:

GEORGE D. NOBLE, CHARLES C. BARLow. 

